Savannah-Chatham Police Chief Joseph Lumpkin is decrying what he calls “catch and release” bonds — approved for convicted felons by a local judge — as “truly detrimental to public safety” and impeding police efforts to stop violent crime. “The (department) cannot keep this community safe if such a ‘catch and release’ bonding process continues,” Lumpkin said in a March 21 email to Savannah Mayor Eddie DeLoach, Chatham County Commission Chairman Al Scott and Savannah aldermen. The object of Lumpkin’s ire, Chatham County Recorder’s Court Judge Harris Odell Jr., said he is a judge, not a cop. “I think we need to make the streets safe, but we don’t need to violate (a defendant’s) constitutional rights to do that,” Odell said.